NYC top cop Ray Kelly to deliver lecture at Brown

Tuesday

Oct 29, 2013 at 12:01 AM

PROVIDENCE, R.I. --Whatever Ray Kelly had to say at Brown University Tuesday will forever remain known only to him, because a raucous crowd drowned out the New York City police commissioner with cries of "racism" and demands for "peace and justice."

By Thomas J. Morgan

PROVIDENCE, R.I. --Whatever Ray Kelly had to say at Brown University Tuesday will forever remain known only to him, because a raucous crowd drowned out the New York City police commissioner with cries of "racism" and demands for "peace and justice."

A grim-faced Kelly left the List Arts Center via a side door after university officials gave up their attempts to bring order to the auditorium and closed the program 27 minutes after its scheduled start. Kelly declined comment as he departed.

Kelly had been expected to speak on "proactive policing," a policy more commonly known as stop-and-frisk, and one that was declared unconstitutional by a federal court in August.

Marissa Quinn, vice president for public affairs, was shouted down when she pleaded for the crowd to let Kelly speak.

"I have never seen in my 15 years at Brown the inability to have a dialogue," Quinn commented.

Her remark was greeted with cheers.

Many of those who disrupted the program appeared not to be Brown students. Various factions seemed organized and rehearsed, standing in unison to chant slogans. Many individuals stood and recited short speeches from cue cards -- squares of cardboard onto which had been pasted typewritten sheets. Occasionally, whole groups stood and chanted sayings that were largely incomprehensible.

The event, or rather the protest, began an hour before Kelly's planned appearance. Several dozen students gathered on College Street outside the List Arts Center and marched in a picket line to the thumping of makeshift drums - trash cans and paint cans were popular. They carried picket signs declaring "Ray (cist) Kelly" and "Don't honor the police state," among others.

The auditorium had limited seating, and many demonstrators were left outside.

Marion Orr, director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy, which sponsored Kelly's visit, opened the program with a plea for "open and civil discourse."

As a sign of what was to come, his request was greeted by derisive laughter.

Orr said the university's policy was to include "topics that provoke controversy." He went on to say, "There are many perspectives in this room. Protest is a necessary and acceptable means." He added however, "Halting a lecture is an unacceptable form of protest."

As Orr continued with his introduction of Kelly, cheers and applause interrupted him when he mentioned that the New York City stop-and-frisk policy had been declared unconstitutional.

Kelly was met with clapping and jeers as he stepped to the lectern. He was immediately interrupted by a group standing and chanting in chorus. What they said was not clear. Others in the audience raised their fists or snapped their fingers.

Kelly waited until the noise died down a bit, then pointed to an audience member. "How about you, young man. Anything to say?"

"I thought this was the academy where you exercised free speech," Kelly commented, bringing another round of chanting.

One man stood and said, "You want us to be civil? This is a one-time conversation." Applause broke out.

Quinn, the university vice president, again stepped to the lectern. "There is a basic principle of free speech at Brown," she said. "Right now there is no dialogue."

Audience members rose in response and chanted "No justice! No peace! No racist police!"

Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life, told the group that if order was not kept it would be necessary to clear the auditorium.

"Clear it. Clear it," the crowd responded.

"We have just lost an opportunity," Quinn told the group.

Cheers and laughter greeted her lament.

As the room cleared, Orr said he didn't want to talk about the experience.

"It wasn't very good," he said.

The university later issued a statement blaming the disruption on "activist students and members of the local community."

University President Christina H. Paxson said, ""The actions that led to the closing of this afternoon's lecture prevented any exchange of ideas and deprived the campus and the Providence community of an opportunity to hear and discuss important social issues. The conduct of disruptive members of the audience is indefensible and an affront both to civil democratic society and to the university's core values of dialogue and the free exchange of views."

(This entry was first posted at 4:45 p.m.)

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